Playing Easy to Get

First two stories great, the third ok.

5 stars for HUNTER’S OATH by Jaid Black.

STORY BRIEF:
Sophia attended her brother’s funeral in Alaska. She takes a taxi to the airport, but the driver locks her inside and instead drives her to a cabin in a remote area of Alaska. Two tall, weird mountain men pay money to the taxi driver and take Sophia to an underground society of Viking people. There is a shortage of women, so they kidnap women from above and sell them on the auction block to be wives to the Viking men below. A kindly old woman feeds and tends to Sophia. Just before Sophia is to be auctioned off, the woman gives her a drink and tells Sophia it will calm her nerves. Sylvia doesn’t know she was just given an aphrodisiac.

Johen is one of the Vikings. He wasn’t planning to buy a bride, but when he sees Sophia he is in love at first sight. He can’t bear the thought of any other man having her, so he bids the highest and buys her. On the way to his dwelling, Sophia is in great pain due to the aphrodisiac. The moment they arrive she jumps onto his bed to take care of her need. Johen had planned to wait before having sex with his bride. But when he realizes she’s under the influence of the aphrodisiac he gives a silent prayer of thanks. He asks her if she wants his help. She wails “yes, please.” He helps her by having sex with her.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is a short story. It’s fun. It makes me smile. I like it because it is different and because the author is a good story teller. I’m drawn to the characters right away. I feel their feelings. There is more story than sex. The sex scenes are good. I like the way the Viking men are so devoted to their wives’ happiness. They are patient and kind. They are taught that their brides are the center of all life and meaning for them. Another captured woman Amani tells Sophia about her own capture. Years ago Amani had been full of rage and anger and attempted escape at every chance. But then she changed due to love. Sophia says “I’m happy that you fell in love with your husband, but” “Yes I did” Amani interrupted. “But it was not my love for Eemil that I spoke of. It was Eemil’s love for me that I found impossible to keep waging war against.”

I was chuckling at the language several times. It’s campy in a pleasing way. Examples of some of the phrases are: “Once a wench was captured, she could never return to the Outside; ‘twould be foolhardy and mayhap cause the collapse of their civilization.” “I will speak with the king on the morrow… You have my vow.” “I will not breach you… I just want to touch you.” “Welcome to our dwelling.”

UNDERGROUND VIKING SERIES:
Each one can be read as a stand-alone.
3 stars. Besieged (in the anthology The Hunted)
5 stars. Hunter's Oath (in the anthology Playing Easy To Get)
5 stars. Hunter's Right (in the anthology Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down)
4 stars. Deep, Dark & Dangerous

DATA:
Story length: 76 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 4. Setting: current day rural Alaska. Copyright: 2006. Genre: fantasy romance.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Jaid Black books, see my 5 star review of One Dark Night.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...


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5 stars for TURN UP THE HEAT by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

STORY BRIEF:
Vince used to work for Gino (the Mafia). Vince wants out so Gino has thugs trying to kill him. Z and Vince were childhood friends. Z is now wealthy. Z offers to send Vince to one of Z’s private islands to hide. That particular island is a fantasy getaway for romance novel sweepstake winners. The island has actors and buildings to recreate scenes from novels.

Allison works in a big box store in a small Georgia town. Her friend signs her up for the sweepstakes and she wins. Allison is flown to the island and is dressed like the heroine in a book. Several good looking male actors are there plus Vince. Allison sees Vince as a dark, dangerous, predator that she can’t resist. The actors seem like boy scouts next to Vince.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This was a really good short story. It’s definitely for romantic suspense lovers. The setting may be a little unbelievable, but the story is fun and different. The reason I gave it 5 stars was because things happened that I wasn’t expecting and that surprised me. It’s rare for books to do that. I won’t say more because I want to leave surprises for others to enjoy. I will say there is no stupidity, and the sex scenes are hot. This is a reread for me. I read it in 2007 and again in 2011.

DATA:
Story length: 91 pages. Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 9. Setting: current day New York City, Madison, Georgia, and a private island. Copyright: 2006. Genre: romantic suspense.

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3 stars for THE WARLORD WANTS FOREVER by Kresley Cole.

It was ok, not great. Nikolai Wroth is warrior vampire. Myst the Coveted is Valkyrie. She bloods vampires and then kills them. She has admired Wroth from his human days. For some reason, she bloods him (gives him a drop of her blood during a kiss), but does not kill him. The blooding leaves him aroused and unable to achieve release until he can find her, which is five years later.

Data:
Story length: 153 pages. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Copyright: 2006. Genre: paranormal romance.

This is Book 1 of a series. It was worth reading only because I loved Book 2, which is a separate book called "A Hunger Like No Other."

I don't normally read short stories as I normally feel there isn't enough pages to get into but I did this one

This is an anthology of 3 stories by 3 different authors. I had not read the first two authors, and after reading their stories I can say I have no desire to read anything else by either. I got this for the Kresley Cole story, The Warload Wants Forever, which is the first Immortals After Dark story, about Nikolai and Myst. And it was really really good! Definitely my favorite of all the IAD books featuring the Wroth vampire brothers. If Cole keeps producing great paranormal romance stories like these I will keep on buying them! Compared to most of this genre she is head and shoulders above them all...

Reread April 2011

I'm going to up my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. After reading this book, I didn't start reading the IAD series because I didn't find it that great. Now that I've read the series, and LOVE it, it's one of my favorites. I did enjoy Nikolai & Myst this time around, they're not very prevalent in the following books and enjoyed their personalities.
I did think it was a bit chauvinistic but understood that it was something Myst needed, craved even.
Give this series a shot, it's fantastic.
Oh, and Nix is awesome.

I didn't read the other short stories, only The Warlord Wants Forever.

In “Turn Up the Heat” by Sherrilyn Kenyon (book 5 in the BAD series), Allison George wins the Heroine Hideaway sweepstakes and flies to a tropical island to enact the plot of her favorite romance novel. While there, she meets Vince and her safe, planned fantasy goes awry.
Vince Cappelleti is a mob hitman on the run from the “family.” His old childhood friend Z, now a rich and legit businessman, smuggles him out of the US and hides him on his island. Vince knows the mob will eventually catch up with him, so he keeps to himself and avoids people, but he’s bored and lonely. Then he meets Allison, a sweet woman who’s far too good for him.
Allison and Vince are in lust at first sight. I wish the novella would’ve been longer to give more detail about Vince’s past and to show the H/h falling in love, but at least there’s attraction to build their relationship on.
The head hopping annoyed me, but I managed to figure out whose POV I was reading in easily enough. I’m a big fan of Ms. Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series, but I haven’t read many of her BAD books. From what I know of the series, the BAD agency didn’t play a big role in this book, and I felt a little lost during the climax because I didn’t know who some of the people were, people who’d surely played a bigger role in the previous stories.
Still, this is a good, fast-paced action/adventure romance.
4 Stars

In “Hunter’s Oath” by Jaid Black, a civilization of Vikings flourishes beneath the surface of the earth and has done so for thousands of years. It’s custom for bride-hunters to go aboveground and find suitable wives to steal, so the men can bid on the women at the auction block.
As the leader of the Viking sector of Hannu, Lord Johen Stefsson only cares about helping his people and trying to make peace with his corrupt king. Though he’s not in want of a wife, especially an Outsider (a woman from aboveground), the naked blonde woman on the stage captures his attention.
Sofia Rowley flew to Alaska to attend her brother’s funeral, and then found herself kidnapped and hauled to a cabin in the snowy mountains. Her strange captors transported her underground, and she soon winds up married to the hottest, biggest man she’s ever seen.
Johen and Sofia are interesting characters. He’s totally smitten with her at first sight, and it’s so much fun to see a big, burly man fall head over heels for a woman. Sofia longs for freedom but can’t deny the happiness she’s found in Johen’s arms.
Though the novella ends with a HEA, there are loose ends concerning the bride-hunters’ punishment and the revolution that’s going to take place in New Sweden. If not for that (and a few typos), I would’ve rated this story with 5 stars because I really enjoyed it.
4 Stars

In “The Warlord Wants Forever” by Kresley Cole (the prequel to the Immortals After Dark series), Nikolai Wroth died as a human three hundred years earlier and awoke a vampire. As a forbearer, a turned human, he willingly serves the full-blooded vampire who turned and has pledged his loyalty to the vampire faction, which is made up of other forbearers. None of them know anything about vampire history or the history of other supposedly mythological creatures, and they’re desperate for information. He doesn’t breathe, his heart doesn’t beat, and he cannot feel sexual desire. Then he meets Myst, a strange woman who changes everything. She’s his Bride, and he has to have her.
Myst is a Valkyrie and is always used as bait by her sisters to catch and kill their enemies. Valkyries and vampires are mortal enemies, and she finds it hilarious Wroth doesn’t know that. Instead of giving him the information he and the faction needs to survive, she teases him and bloods him (she makes his dead-like body respond to her), and then leaves him in a state of sexual torment for five long years. When he finally catches up with her, the furious vampire will finally claim her as his own.
I liked Wroth for the most part, but I didn’t like Myst. She was selfish, cruel, and so hardened that she kept her gentleness far from the surface. She didn’t care how much she hurt Worth and wouldn’t apologize even when she felt a little guilty. Her Valkyrie sisters were just as slutty and heartless, but I hope a lot of if was just act.
I’ve heard great things about this series, and this is the first IAD book I’ve read. Unfortunately, I found it confusing. The history of the Lore was scattered throughout the story and wasn’t straightforward. I didn’t understand the animosity between the warring species and why they warred within themselves.
I plan on reading the other books, and hopefully, I’ll understand them better than I did this one.
3 Stars

Book Overall – 4 Stars

Three terrific erotic stories that aren't all about sex though there is plenty of that.

Sherrilyn Kenyon thrills with Turn Up The Heat. From brow-beaten to center stage, Allison Geroge gets her hearts desire when she wins a contest and ends up living her book fantasy. Enter Vince Cappelletti, who isn't actually part of the fantasy until Allison chooses him out of all the hotties waiting for her on the island. This was too short but romantic and exciting nonetheless.

Jaid Black brings the Vikings to the Arctic Circle - well underground anyway. The Vikings expect the above world to die off including the women so they steal them in order to propagate their society. Sofia is in Alaska viewing her brother's remains when she is kidnapped and finds herself at a bride auction...as a prospective bride to a Viking lord. The Vikings have been raised to revere women and Lord Johen Steffsson falls instantly in love and spends countless days trying to win his reluctant bride. Another book that could have been truly wonderful if it had been longer.

Kresley Cole brings us the first in her Immortals After Dark series, The Warlord Wants Forever. Myst betrays Nikolai and leaves him desperate for release...for five years! Ouch. When he gets the chance to enslave her (kinda like a djinn), he takes full advantage. Though it's not as bad as you'd imagine since she is his soul mate and he isn't interested in harming her. A surprisingly romantic story given the hero is a medieval warlord and the heroine a fierce valkyre.

Turn Up the Heat by Sherrilyn Kenyon - 2.5-3 stars. Parts of this story were 4 stars, other parts were 2. I enjoyed up to when they slept together but then everything else just fell kind of flat for me. I didn't understand why Allison's boss was supposed to be such a jerk. All I saw him doing was telling her to do certain things that I would assume would be part of her job. Also I didn't fully believe her change when all the real action started happening. Normally I really love what SK brings to a story but I will admit that the B.A.D. series is my least favorite series of hers.

Hunter's Oath by Jaid Black 3 stars. Never read Jaid Black before but I liked this one. There wasn't much going on however and I didn't feel a huge attachment to either of the characters. It bothered me though that the women were kidnapped to be brides for these Vikings and I it made me a little uncomfortable that all these women eventually accept this new life, there's a Stockholm Syndrome feel to the story. Although I also understand why Sofia stayed with Johen...kind of. She has no family left alive but doesn't she have any friends? Wouldn't they be wondering where she went? Anyway, it was an ok story and I'll read more by JB in the future.

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresely Cole 4-4.5 stars. I really liked this one. It wasn't a favorite of the series but it was still very enjoyable. After reading all the little moments between Nikolai and Myst in all the other books I really wanted to read this one. And even though much of what is in this story has been mentioned in later books in the IAD series it's still a good idea to read this one. My only complaint, I wish these two got a full length novel. Other than that, this was a great read.

New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon and rising stars Jaid Black and Kresley Cole unlock the pleasures and perils of embracing the boldest and most powerful of lovers -- 100% alpha males -- in three sensually erotic tales. Discover the physical rapture of his muscular arms.... Become a prisoner of passion, swept away by an encounter with his primal side.... And get lost in the all-consuming thrill of white-hot pursuit by a relentless stranger who may be your most dangerous foe, the best lover you've ever had -- or both. Let your fantasies run wild with these unforgettable novellas where bigger is most definitely better -- and playing easy-to-get is the only way to go!

"Turn Up The Heat" / Sherrilyn Kenyon
The story of an average woman who wins the vacation of a lifetime - a trip to Sex Camp. But what Allison George gets is a race for her life with an ex-Mafia who is now being sought by his previous employer. Vince Cappelleti knew the island was a risky proposition, but he'd run out of options. Now the only thing he wants in his sights is Allison, but in order to have a future with her, he must first deal with his past.

"Hunter's Oath" / Jaid Black
What was supposed to be a simple taxi ride to Fairbanks, Alaska for Sofia Rowley ends up becoming a terrifying fight for her freedom. Sold by the cab driver to a mysterious man who imprisons her in a lost Viking world, Sofia is forced to stand all but naked on a bride auction block, her fate now in the hands of the highest bidder.

"The Warlord Wants Forever" / Kresley Cole
Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire general, will stop at nothing to find his Bride, the one woman who can “blood” him, making his heart beat and filling him with strength. Coldly interested only in the power his mate will bring, he can hardly believe when Myst the Coveted, his army’s new immortal captive, awakens him body -- and soul. Famed throughout the world as the most beautiful Valkyrie, Myst has devoted her life to protecting a magical jewel and to fighting the vampires.